Brown Man Reviews A Few Books

Quote Of The Day From Ta-Nehisi Coates

"Sarah Palin, on the other hand, has no sense of showmanship. Instead she just offers proud ignorance in all of its naked, fulminating glory. The odious humors regularly issuing forth from her gaping, defecating maw are unconstrained.

Brown Man Thinking Hard Disclaimer

Looks like Senator Obama’s vacation is over – it's time to get back to kissing those babies.

I've always wondered about the whole baby kissing thing that politicians seem to have established as a campaign trail ritual. Is it for luck? An emotional appeal?

Or could the purpose be to show a certain level of vulnerability in a political candidate, although politicians are more likely to be known as - well, to be known as the type who are willing to "eat their own young" to get ahead.

The whole setup - the bouncing baby in one arm, a big cheesy grin from the candidate - does make for a good head shot, with all the attention focused on the candidate as he holds an anonymous bundle of joy.

I would imagine the line of people at the bigger rallies and events who want to get their baby's picture taken with Barack Obama must be as long as the lines for pictures with Santa are in the malls at Christmas time.

It looks like an internet jokester has come to the same conclusion with this internet spoof of Obama's super-organized website, www.barackobama.com.

Step 2 on the webpage reads " When your baby arrives, Barack will give it your choice of a kiss, a hug, or hope."

This tongue-in-cheek look at the Obama phenomenon speaks to one of the strengths of his organization - their ability to integrate the internet into almost every aspect of the campaign. From signing up supporters to gathering money to disseminating information, his website, with its Swiss Army knife type of versatility, has provided Obama with an unprecedented amount of money and manpower.

But the visceral power of the human touch - the transference of energy from one body to another - seems to humanize even the most remote person in a way that all the things that they say cannot. Simple and direct, the act of touching one's lips to the skin of another is a sign, not only of love, but of trust. Could you imagine, for instance, a parent allowing the Anti-Christ to come near their child?

So finish shaking that seawater out of your ears, Senator, and get back to work.